Design Army X Karla Colletto to debut their swimwear collection - Swim At Your Own Risk - on Friday, August 22 from 7-10 p.m. at Capitol Skyline Hotel

On the heels of judging the global 61st Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in France as one of two US judges in the Design category, Pum Lefebure, co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of Design Army, just released her first swimwear collection, Swim At Your Own Risk, in collaboration with Karla Colletto. A capsule collection for Colletto’s Cruise 2015 line and Lefebure’s first venture into fashion design, the five-piece graphic swimsuits and beachwear debuted at the Miami Swim Show on July 19th.

The creative team is now debuting the collection in Washington, DC on Friday night, August 22, from 7-10 p.m. at the Capitol Skyline Hotel, 10 I St. SW. The pool party/fashion show will include swimwear models, specialty drinks and treats, surf-rock tunes, and a pool full of inflatable crocodiles.

“The Swim At Your Own Risk Collection was a little spur of the moment,” Lefebure says. “Karla wanted to try a new applique technique, so we experimented with the typography approach. That’s the benefit of working with someone for a long time — I feel like I’m part of the client’s brand.”

Design Army has been working with the Karla Colletto brand for more than 10 years, rebranding the company and producing award-winning marketing campaigns, including an underwater video to launch last year’s Cruise line.

“Pum and I have a good working relationship and our visions go together… so it was an easy collaboration because we tend to all like the same things,” Colletto says. It was a natural progression to partner on a swimwear line. “We knew that she would put her own spin on the phrase ‘Swim At Your Own risk.’ And the typography trend is so big now,” Colletto adds.

“It has an athletic, sporty feel, but it’s also very sexy,” Lefebure says. “It has an ageless quality but also makes a statement. The idea of ‘Swim At Your Own Risk’ has an attitude and humor to it. I wore the suit in Cannes and people reacted to the humor of it.”